Prakriti (Mahabharata)

Chapter 29

(This chapter is dedicated to Arundhati777 and PrabirPoddar)

Prakriti P.O.V

"Your Tapasya is over now, you should go back to your family, Parvati" Mahadeva said, I could see in his eyes that he didn't want me to go but it has to be done besides he will be with me in the form of Arya whose Tapasya is about to complete as well. I nodded my head with a smile "Yes Swamy, time has come for me to go" I responded, he put his hand on my cheek and gave me his soft smile one last time, with a fog surrounded us, he vanished from the view leaving me alone in the garden, I sighed and stared at the place he was a couple of seconds ago.

I should go now.

With that thought in my head, I closed my eyes and transformed myself in my nature self wearing the sage cloth suitable for the exile. I slowly started walking, garden vanishing from the view behind me. I reached Gandhamadan mountains after walking for hours, Its been almost twelve years since I was in the Amarnath cave for my Tapasya that means Brother Bhima and Twins have already finished their worship and are in our home in Kamyaka vana. A smile pulled on my face, finally I will meet my family after so many years, I have missed them so much.

Brother Krishna, How is my little Warrior?  

He has grown up now without his parents by his side, my eyes filled with tears remembering his innocent face when I left him twelve years ago.

He is fine Prakrite, he is not little any more, he has become a fierce warrior now just like his parents.

Brother Krishna voice entered in my head, he was proud of his nephew, I could hear it in his voice. I wiped my tears away, I shouldn't cry, I will meet him soon, just one more year.

He miss you and Partha so much, lots of the time, he asked me to take him to you but I made him remember that time will come for that.

Tell him as soon as Agyatvasa will be over, I will come to him without wasting any second.

Just then I felt an anxiousness feeling in the pit of my stomach, my eyes quickly moved towards the sky, looking past through the clouds in the Indralok. What I saw made my blood boil, my fist clenched in anger as I stared at the scene in fury.

***

Third Person P.O.V

Arjuna opened his eyes and sat up with a cry. The moonlight shone through Apsara gown, so no part of her was hidden from him. He quickly averted his eyes away in discomfort. "Devi, how are you here at this hour?" he asked in confusion not daring to look at the celestial maiden. She gave a short laugh, she was nervous herself for the first time. "I have come to serve you, my prince" She said in her velvety voice, any other person could have fallen for her instantly but not this Archer, he wasn't even looking at her. 

"But why, O my mother?" Arjuna babbled, he wanted her to go away from here but he can't be rude to her and she was wearing revealing clothes which were inappropriate as he thought of her like his mother because she was wife of pururava and he was ancestor of Kuru clan. Urvashi was advancing towards him when she froze as if he had struck her. A spark of rage in her grey eyes, "Mother? Did you say mother?" She breathed in anger. Arjuna nodded solemnly, he pulled the duvet from his side and gave it to Urvashi, she growled and pushed the duvet away standing up to her full height. "Pandava, I have seen you stare at me when we danced for you in your father's halls, I come to you for love and you dare call me mother?" She asked, her fist tightening. She was looking at the Archer coldly.

"You are the mother of my race, Apsara. That is why I stared at you, thinking, 'That is Urvashi, who was Pururavas' love. She is the mother of the Kurus and she is far lovelier than I had imagined.' I swear these were my only thoughts. Forgive me if I misled you" he said truthfully, he never thought of her in any other way. She remembered her forgotten time on earth, she was perhaps his 'mother'; that only whetted her desire. If she was patient, she could seduce him. After all, which man had resisted her? Which Deva or gandharva had? Not Indra, or any of them, ever. This beautiful mortal was diffident; but she would coax him out of his shyness. "Kshatriya, you don't know how it is with the apsaras. We are always young, Arjuna. We never become mothers, but are just for love. I was your ancestor's lover, once, but I never belonged to him or to anyone I loved. We are dancers in Indra's sabha, the courtesans of Amravati. We are here for the pleasure of all and we are forever free" She said laughing softly, again trying to seduce the Prince. He quickly stood up from the bed feeling mortified with the situation.